The Wolof of Saloum: Social Structure and Rural Development in Senegal Stellingen
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The Wolof of Saloum: social structure and rural development in Senegal Stellingen 1. Ein van de voorwaarden voor succesvolle toepassing van ossetrekkracht in de landbouw is een passende bedrijfsgrootte. In vele samenlevingen in West-Afrika wordt aan deze voor- waarde niet voldaan, omdat de leden van de huishoudgroep niet gezamenlijk, maar afzonder- lijk een bedrijf beheren. Dit proefschrift. 2. De conclusie dat in niet-westerse gebieden de positie van de vrouw verslechtert door opname in de marktecanomie en modernisering van de landbouw, is niet van toepassing op de Wolof-samenleving. Door de verbouw van handelsgewassen werd haar rol in de landbouw be- langrijker en nam haar inkomen toe. De recente toepassing van dierlijke trekkracht ver- lichtte haar taak op haar eigen veld. Postel-Coster, E. & J. Schrijvers, 1976. Vrouwen op weg; ontwikkeling naar emanci- patie. Van Gorcum, Assen. Dit proefschrift. 3. Moore verklaart de deelname aan werkgroepen met een maaltijd als beloning ('festive labour') mede uit de afhankelijkheid van de deelnemers ten opzichte van de begunstigde. Hierbij wordt over het hoofd gezien dat het voorkomt dat slechts een persoon deelneemt vanwege zijn afhankelijkheid van de begunstigde en dat deze persoon de overige deelnemers rekruteert volgens de regels van reciprociteit. Moore, M.P., 1975. Co-operative labour in peasant agriculture. Journal of Peasant Studies 2(3): 270-291. Dit proefschrift. 4. De gebruikelijke definitie van een marabout als zijnde een heilige en religieus leider met erg veel invloed is niet van toepassing op de Wolof, omdat hier vele marabouts slechts lokale bekendheid genieten. Dit proefschrift. 5. Er wordt vaak geen rekening gehouden met het feit dat de materiele positie van de kleine boer in ontwikkelingslanden niet alleen bepaald wordt door zijn activiteit als pro- ducent, maar tevens door zijn activiteit als handelaar. Internationaal Agrarisch Centrum, 1977. De kleine boer en de ontwikkelingssamen- werking. Concept-rapport, Interaationaal Agrarisch Centrum, Wageningen. Dit proefschrift. The WolofofSaloum: social structure and rural development in Senegal Promotor : dr. R. A. J. van Lier, hoogleraar in deempirische sociologie en sociografle der niet-westersegebieden. VttPi ö'Zol L. B. Venema The Wolof of Saloum: social structure and rural development in Senegal Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor in de landbouwwetenschappen, op gezag van de rector magnificus, dr. H. C. van der Plas, hoogleraar in de organische scheikunde, in het openbaar te verdedigen . opwoensdag 1 maart 1978 des namiddags te vier uur in de aula van de Landbouwhogeschool te Wageningen Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation Wageningen 1978 Abstract Venema, L. B. (1978) The Wolof of Saloum: social structure and rural development in Senegal. Agric. Res. Rep. (Versl. landbouwk. Onderz.) 871, ISBN 9O-22O-0583-6 (x) + 228 pp., 47 tables, 8 maps, 15 photographs, 112 references, 27 appendices, English and French summaries. Also: Doc• toral thesis, Wageningen. The study refers to the Wolof of Saloum, Senegal. Its aim was to examine which factors had in• duced change in rural stratification, co-operation and cohesion. Their significance for administra• tion of rural development was studied. Views of historians and anthropologists are discussed. Literature was examined to determine the processes which had undermined the traditional Wolof states. In this manner, rural development administration was also studied since the colonial period. Field work lasted one and a half years; for one year, a community-study was conducted, the other months were spent on completing questionnaires in the Arrondissement Medinah Sabach. The Islam reform movement had already undermined the power of the Wolof rulers before the spread of groundnut as a cashcrop and the consequent establishment of French colonial rule. This movement did not alter the differences in status and in influence between free- born villagers and their slaves. In Salofcm* the slaves-founded independent farms after the 1st World War. Wealth, acquired by cultivating groundnuts and "performing commercial side- activities, has also become important to obtain influence. In the village studied, some descen- dents of slaves had become rich and a few were members of the councils of the village co• operative and party-branch. Agricultural co-operation was partly an expression of local stratification. Aid in labour was also given to in-laws, friends and the poor. Although wage labour had increased, co-operation had not been decreased by incorporation in the money- economy. This incorporation and the application of Islam law had disintegrated the compound into households and the households into individual farms. In this process, other factors were probably important too. The government organizations concerned with the increase in agricultural production had insufficient knowledge of fragmentation of the domestic units, hierarchy in local power networks and the aristocratic culture pattern. It is likely that the propagated innovations did not decrease indebtedness and the difference in wealth between villagers. This thesis will also be published as Agricultural Research Reports 871 © Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation, Wageningen, 1978 No part of this book may be reproduced and/or published in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm or any other means without written permission from the publishers. BIBLlOïhiitS DEE LANDBOUWKOGESGHOOB WAGENINGEN Acknowledgments During this study, some persons and institutions gave me considerable help, each in a different way. Therefore I want to express my gratitude to: - My wife and children; they did their utmost to accept th&poor way 1 often performed my role as a husband and father. - The population of Sonkorong, Thysse-Kaymor and N'Dakhar Karim, especially the families Kabe Seek, Diery Cisse and Babou Cisse; they took a personal interest in my life and work. -My assistants Amadou N'Diaye and N'Dary Toure; they offered me also their friendship. - Prof. R. A. J. van Lier, my teacher; he always showed confidence in this study, but when I had rounded off the text to the best of my ability he could still offer a host of con• structive criticisms. - Dr J. H. B. den Ouden, Ir P. W. M. Kleene, Ir J. S. Wigboldus, Prof. M. A. Klein and Prof. J. Beattie; they gave many suggestions whifch appeared to be valuable and often showed interest in this study in the moments when I flagged. - The staff of the Department of Rural Sociology of the Tropics and Subtropics of the Agricultural University and the staff of the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology of Non-Western Societies of the Free University; their casual conversa• tion helped to put this study into a perspective. - Mrs W. M. Laoh-Gieskes and Mrs E. M. Brouns-Murray; the first typed and retyped my manuscript, the second improved my English and polished my style; they not only did these jobs with remarkable efficiency but also showed exceptional patience. - Els van -Otterlo and Rini Verhagen, then students; for the way they did their job. - Mr P. Holleman drew the maps and Pudoc made the final draft ready for publication. -The Centre National des Recherches Agronomiques of Bambey, Senegal, the Agricultural University of Wageningen, the Netherlands and the Government of Senegal; for their helpfulness in making the research project possible. Curriculum vitae The author was born in 1941 in Nieuwerkerk, the Netherlands. In 1960, he obtained his HBS-B certificate in Groningeh. Between that year and 1964, he completed National Service and studied two years at the College for Forestry and Water Management in Arnhem. In 1970, he graduated in rural sociology of the tropics and subtropics at the Agricultural University in Wageningen. Secondary topics were agricultural economics of the tropics and subtropics, extension education and methods of social research. During his study, he worked 6 months in Tanzania in a research project of the Africa Study Centre of Leyden making a study of the agricultural extension service and of farming systems in Rungwe. From 1970 to 1974, he was a research assistant at the Department of Rural Sociology of the Tropics and Subtropics of the Agricultural University, which enabled him to do research in Senegal in 1971-1972. Since 1975, he has been on the staff of the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology of Non-Western Societies of the Free University, Amsterdam. There he teaches social planning and supervises the yearly research that students perform for the Directorate of Regional Planning in Tunisia. i • Currency The Senegal franc is indicated as F CFA 1 000 F CFA « $US 3.60 Samenvatting Een onderzoek werd verricht onder de Wolof in de Streek Saloum, Senegal. Het doel van dit onderzoek was de Studie van het stratificatiesysteem, de vormen van agrarische samenwerking en de cohesie van de huishoudingen, waarbij tevens de betekenis van deze drie aspecten voor het agrarisch ontwikkelingsbeleid werd nagegaan. Het onderzoek beoogde niet uitsluitend een momentopname te zijn. Daarom werd een bronnenonderzoek verricht naar het prekoloniale en koloniale patroon van stratificatie in de Wolof staten en naar het agrarisch beleid in en na de koloniale période. Observaties en open vraaggesprekken werden aangevuld met het gebruik van vragenlijsten. Na gedurende een jaar het onderzoek geconcentreerd te hebben op het dorp Sonkorong, werd in de 5 maanden daarna middels een vragenlijst in omliggende dorpen nagegaan in hoeverre een deel